Balance point

[pitdog85]

This is prolly a stupid question so I thought I'd post it here. My rifle is slightly front heavy with the muzzle brake I have put on it. When looking at the balance point should you have the bipod on or off?? To me it would make sense to have it off because the bipod is what is supporting the weight of your gun when shooting prone not adding to it. So when looking too add lead to the rear of the stock would you have te bipod on or off to move the balance point back??

 

[Fursniper]

In and of itself, muzzlebrakes are not usually heavy enough to effect balance much. That's assuming you don't have a monstrosity of a tank style brake on it. Usually the barrel length & contour and style/type of stock/length of forearm have a larger effect on balance than anything else. Hollow buttstocks on cheaper style stocks like an H&S for example definitely contribute to balance problems. Having said that, the actual position of the bipod effects the balance of the entire firearm quite a bit when actually shooting it, ie, the more forward the bipod the better the balance usually is, up to a point so include the bipod as it adds to the entire balance of the firearm. This is where spigot mounted bipods and/or longer forearms come into play. Adding weight to the buttstock as you're considering will help as well of course. A well balanced rifle definitely shoots better than one that isnt.

 

[_Windrider_]

In and of itself, muzzlebrakes are not usually heavy enough to effect balance much. That's assuming you don't have a monstrosity of a tank style brake on it. Usually the barrel length & contour and style/type of stock/length of forearm have a larger effect on balance than anything else. Hollow buttstocks on cheaper style stocks like an H&S for example definitely contribute to balance problems. Having said that, the actual position of the bipod effects the balance of the entire firearm quite a bit when actually shooting it, ie, the more forward the bipod the better the balance usually is, up to a point so include the bipod as it adds to the entire balance of the firearm. This is where spigot mounted bipods and/or longer forearms come into play. Adding weight to the buttstock as you're considering will help as well of course. A well balanced rifle definitely shoots better than one that isnt.

this is why i put an 18" handguard on my RPR. gets the fulcrum further out and is much easier to control.

 

[pitdog85]

thanks guys I have drilled a 6 inch hole in the buttstock gunna melt some lead into an alloy pipe then put it in the stock